Bracket Briefing: Which No. 1 team will fall first?

Mar. 23, 2013
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Gonzaga guard Gary Bell, Jr. (5) reacts to being called for a foul on Southern University Jaguars guard Derick Beltran (2) as he took a shot late in the second half during the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament. Gonzaga won a closer-than-expected game 64-58. / Steve Dykes, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson and Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson and Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to another session of Bracket Briefing, our attempt to provide you with essential information on the Big Dance - highlighting the Florida Gulf Coasts and Harvards of the college basketball world, and forecasting the Ali Farokhmanesh and Steph Curry moments before they happen.

The first word: Kansas almost became the first team in NCAA tournament history to lose to a No. 16 seed, before barely surviving a Western Kentucky upset in a 64-57 win on Friday. With two No. 1 teams playing tonight - the top overall seed Louisville and the lowest No. 1 team Gonzaga - now's a sufficient time to ask when the first team will fall in the NCAAs. After all, only five times in NCAA tournament history (including last season) has the No. 1 overall seed won the title. Louisville cruised in the second-round by routing North Carolina A&T 79-48, while the Zags had trouble getting past an athletic Southern team. Tonight, Colorado State could pose more of a challenge for the favorite Cardinals, while the Missouri Valley's Shockers could take down the highly-scrutinized Bulldogs.

Big Ten's Dance dominance: While the Atlantic 10's strong performance in the second round was well chronicled, Michigan State's win against Memphis moved the Big Ten to 8-1 in the tournament, with Wisconsin's loss to Mississippi in the round of 64 the league's only blemish. While the Wolverines are the first Big Ten team to advance to the round of 16, another five teams could join them over the next 24 hours: Michigan State (currently in progress against Memphis), Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota.

"I am 100% pulling for the (Big Ten) conference, totally," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Friday. "I'm pulling for every team in this conference. I think sometimes in recruiting, it helps when the conference does well, believe it or not. You look at SEC football and they just talk about it being the best conference‚?¶ Even if you don't go to Alabama, you go to somewhere else. The conference recruits sometimes."

Towel tussle: With Michigan State's lead over Memphis slowly slipping away Saturday afternoon, the Spartans were growing frustrated. During a break in the second half, Derrick Nix and Keith Appling - teammates since high school - got into a towel fight. Coach Tom Izzo was not happy.

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What you missed today:

- Michigan 78, VCU 53. Michigan advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1994. The Wolverines handed VCU coach Shaka Smart the worst loss of his career. VCU's pressure defense forced only 12 turnovers and allowed Michigan to hit on 51.7% of its attempts from the field. This one was never in doubt.

- No. 3 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Memphis 48. Michigan State's sloppy play allowed Memphis to crawl within three points heading into halftime, but the Spartans regrouped to put the Tigers away over the game's final 10 minutes. After scoring only 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting against Valparaiso, Michigan State guard Gary Harris led all scorers with 23 points.

Head on a swivel: VCU wanted to press and run, as the Rams often do. Instead of getting flustered, however, Michigan broke VCU's "havoc" with a dominating performance on both ends of the floor. For example, here's Michigan forward Mitch McGarry laying a devastating screen on the Rams' Briante Webber to set up Trey Burke for an open two:

It was that kind of day for VCU.

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6 on deck: An index to help guide you through the madness.

For clarity, a three-star game means nothing else in your life matters. Two stars means you should put your cellphone on vibrate. One star means you can watch while folding your laundry. (All times Eastern.)

The Nightcap

*Life won't end if you miss this* (Midwest Regional): No. 8 Colorado State vs. No. 1 Louisville, 5:15 p.m. (CBS): Colorado State doesn't lack for experience or confidence, especially after knocking off No. 8 Missouri with ease in the round of 64. Rick Pitino's Cardinals are a different animal, however.

***Must watch*** (Midwest Regional) No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 4 Saint Louis, 7:10 p.m. (TBS): Both teams are coming off impressive wins in the round of 64. The Billikens might be the hottest team in the tournament, having lost only one game since Jan. 20.

~Upset alert~ (West Regional) No. 9 Wichita State vs. No. 1 Gonzaga, 8:40 p.m. (TNT): While Gonzaga played sloppy and tentative in its win against No. 16 Southern, the Shockers had their way against Pittsburgh. While the Bulldogs may very well bounce back nicely, Wichita State has what it takes to advance.

**You should probably watch** (East Regional) No. 12 California vs No. 4 Syracuse, 9:40 p.m. (TBS): California is fresh off a win against UNLV in a rematch of the two teams' regular-season matchup. Meanwhile, which Syracuse team shows up?

Enfield played college basketball at John Hopkins, where he set an NCAA record for best career free-throw percentage (92.3%) that still stands. He was a bench coach with the Boston Celtics under Rick Pitino, then served as an assistant at Florida State before taking his current job.